Item 17 - Flat rate or flattened

1 cartoon

The cartoon shows a snail with the face of [Jack Jones, the transport union's leader] racing away from a large foot with the word "coalition" stamped on the bottom. The snail's shell is labelled "TUC" and the snail is racing in the direction of a sign pointing towards "flat rate".

[Cartoon may relate to trade union disputes about pay rises. In 1975 Jack Jones had been concerned that only the strong were getting a voice and so suggested that everybody earning less than £8500 be given a flat rate £6 raise. The words coalition may be in reference to the 1977 pact between the Liberal Democrats and Labour in order to keep the Callaghan administration in power. There may have been some concern that a Liberal-Labour coalition would threaten the flat-rate pay rises.]